Nature's Fury
by LadyHawk225
Summary: We do not fear the power behind nature, we fear her fury." Supernaturalactionadventure...some romance in later chapters. Please review!
1. Prolouge

Ryo Sanada stood on the shore of the lake, watching as the serene water turned golden in the fading evening light. His dark, wild hair whipped around his face in the wind, which had sprung up mysteriously as soon as he stepped outside the Koji mansion, as if it waited there for him.

Turning tiger-blue eyes towards the forest, he frowned slightly at the violence of the wind, it's aggression damaging the innocent trees as it ripped leaves from the branches and broke the smaller branches in it's frenzy. Small saplings were bent mercilessly under its force, and Ryo could feel the winds' power pushing at his back, urging him to bow before it.

With a sigh, Ryo stuck his hands in his jeans pockets, ignoring the winds' howls as he watched the sun fall to the horizon. Suddenly, something warm and wet brushed up against his thigh and Ryo smiled down at White Blaze, whose nose snuffled at his jeans curiously.

"Hey, boy. What're you doing out here?" Ryo grinned down at his friend.

White Blaze looked up at him, cocking his head to the side and growling softly in his throat.

Ryo laughed, and turned back to the sunset. Frowning, he noticed dark clouds had forming on the horizon, swiftly darkening and heading towards the mansion nestled in the woods. Sharp tugs on his pants caused Ryo to jump and look back down at the tiger, curiously. White Blaze had grabbed one leg of his jeans and was tugging insistently on his clothes.

"What is it boy? What's wrong?" Ryo asked, kneeling down to the tigers' level as White Blaze released the cloth from between his teeth.

White Blaze made a low whine in his throat, followed by a growl as he turned towards the dark horizon, now littered with blackening clouds.

"It's okay, boy. Just a little rain." Ryo said, standing up again and turning towards the lake once more.

The wind had picked up even more and the lake's usually calm surface had become choppy. White Blaze grabbed his jeans again, this time tugging more insistently on the cloth until Ryo was sure it would rip.

"Jeez, White Blaze! What's the matter with you, huh?" Ryo scratched the tiger behind the ears, flinching back in surprise when the tiger growled deep in its throat and tugged once again on the fabric of his clothes.

Gently removing his clothing from the tigers' mouth, Ryo pointed to the house.

"Why don't you go wait for me inside if you're afraid of getting wet; I just want to enjoy the weather a little bit." Ryo said, turning once more to the now violent lake surface and the nearly pitch black sky.

Thunder rumbled ominously in the sky and Ryo experienced a slight shiver at the sound. He loved storms. He loved their power and fury. He loved the sense of slight fear that accompanied storms; not fear for the power of nature, but fear for the fury behind it.

Suddenly, White Blaze roared, breaking Ryo out of a dream-like trance he had fallen into, reflecting on the storm. Ryo stumbled backwards as White Blaze pushed his head against Ryo's legs.

"Woah, White Blaze!" Ryo cried, trying to regain his feet.

White Blaze ignored him as rain began to pelt mercilessly down upon the pair, pushing Ryo again towards the gleaming lights of the mansion. Ryo fell down on his knees at White Blazes' insistent pushing, but the tiger ignored his masters' graceless fall and began trying to drag the young Ronin by the collar of his shirt.

"White Blaze!" Ryo shouted. "What's the matter with you!?"

Suddenly, thunder rumbled in the sky, so loudly that Ryo covered his ears with his hands. The rain grew heavier, by now both boy and tiger were soaked to the bone. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the yard and forest with its brilliance.

Ryo looked up at the sky, suddenly realizing just how dark it was. Unnaturally dark clouds marred the evening sky, not allowing even a scrap of gray into the landscape. The rain poured out of the black clouds like darts, pricking and pinching Ryo's skin wherever they landed. Thunder rolled again, and suddenly, Ryo was truly afraid.

Regaining his feet, he began walking briskly towards the mansion, White Blaze prodding him from behind.

Suddenly, a bright, white light filled Ryo's vision, and he cried out as he fell to the ground. A resounding crack filled the air as Ryo blinked in confusion, momentarily blinded by the brightness.

Reaching out, he felt White Blazes' warm chest next to his hand and grabbed the tigers' fur, swinging himself onto his back. As White Blaze began to run towards the mansion, Ryo's vision cleared slightly and he gasped at the crater that marked the ground just a few feet from where he had been standing. Clinging tightly to White Blaze, Ryo's stunned state of mind didn't register the mud track that White Blaze was about to run into until it was too late.

With a cry as White Blaze slid in the mud, Ryo to fell from his back and rolled down a small hill, into the line of trees at the edge of the woods.

Groaning, Ryo rolled onto his back, staring up at the black sky and the wind-blown trees above him. Thunder rolled and Ryo's fear returned, causing him to push White Blazes' nose out of his face and return to his feet, unsteadily.

Running swiftly, he made for the shining lights of the mansion he could see in the distance.

The night had turned so dark that he could only just barely make out the trees in his path, and he stumbled upon a rock that sent him sprawling across the ground once more. Ignoring the pain in his legs and arms from the fall, Ryo got up and continued running, vaguely aware of White Blazes running just behind him. Thunder rumbled across the sky and another crack sounded out of nowhere, the deafening roar of a tree turned to ashes by the lightning's horror, only a few paces from where Ryo ran by. Luckily, the lightning didn't ignite any of the nearby trees, but Ryo had no time to think of that.

'_It's almost like the lightning is aiming for me. Or maybe I'm attracting it.'_ Ryo thought as he ran, his brow furrowed in both fear and confusion.

Reaching the edge of the woods, Ryo paused. If his speculations were correct, he had to be very careful. There was still a good distance of clear land to the mansion, but not so much that Ryo couldn't see inside the well-lit window to the kitchen. Deciding that he had no choice, Ryo sprinted across the yard.

Twenty-five feet before he reached the back door.

Twenty feet. He could feel White Blaze running alongside him now, eager to be inside and away from this terrible storm.

Fifteen feet.

Twelve.

A blinding flash obscured Ryo's vision once again, but this time threw up an arm against the blinding light as the lightning struck directly in front of the frightened Ronin. The force of the blast threw Ryo back a few feet, landing him hard on his back, breathless and in pain.

Groaning awkwardly, he blinked up at the sky as lightning flashed across it again, and he knew he wouldn't be able to get out of the way. He distantly heard White Blaze roar a warning as time seemed to slow and he watched the electric bolt fly towards him with amazing accuracy. Gasping, he clenched his eyes shut and waited for death to come.

But it never came.

Instead a shadow fell over the fallen Ronin stopping the rains' merciless onslaught and Ryo looked up in confusion just as the lightning struck. A deafening roar filled the air as the silhouette of the form above him shone briefly. Ryo blinked the rain out of his blurry eyes, unsure of what was above him, protecting him from the lightning's deadly strike. Whatever it was, quickly moved away and disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Ryo blinked again, trying to see the huge form as it melted quickly into the darkness, but he saw nothing more of the being that had saved his life. White Blaze tugged at his shirt and Ryo gasped, suddenly realizing where he was.

Ignoring the pain in his back, he stumbled to his feet and ran the last few feet to the back door, turning the knob frantically and falling into the kitchen. Pushing the door shut with his foot, he sighed in relief as he lay panting on the kitchen floor. As consciousness slipped from him, his last thoughts were of the form that had saved him, and the lightning that seemed so bent on taking his life.


	2. Chapter One

"Wait, let me get this straight...you're saying that the storm was out to get you?" Rowen repeated.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Ryo almost shouted, exasperated.

He lay on the couch in the living room, an ice pack on his knee where he had bruised it in the fall and a pillow under his aching back. The other Ronins and Mia were scattered around the room, having just heard Ryo explain again how he came to be found unconscious on the kitchen floor just a half hour ago.

"Calm down, Ryo." Sage said calmly. "We're just trying to get all the facts straight."

Ryo winced as he sat up, ignoring Cye's hands, trying to push him back down on the couch.

"Look." Ryo growled. "There was definitely something sinister about that thunderstorm. The lightning almost hit me four times. Tell me that's not a coincidence."

"Well..." Rowen muttered. It just didn't make sense, why would the lightning be aiming for Ryo?

"Maybe it wasn't aiming at you." Kento said suddenly as if he had heard Rowen's thoughts. "Maybe you were attracting it."

"Attracting it? How could I be attracting it?" Ryo asked, thoughtfully.

"Your armor?" Cye put in quietly. He didn't like this. The air didn't smell right. Usually after a storm the air smelled fresh and clean, like everything was washed away in the rain. But for some reason, this storm had been different. It didn't smell fresh and clean, it smelled musty and metallic, like energy lingering somewhere in the air.

"That's possible, but our armors have never attracted lightning before." Sage said.

"True. You guys didn't notice anything unusual about that storm?" Ryo asked.

All the Ronins shook their heads 'no'.

The evening had been going quietly enough. After diner Ryo had headed outside while Cye and Kento hooked up the Play Station Two. Sage had gone to meditate and Rowen to his room t study. Later, when Rowen went down to get a glass of water he had found Ryo laying unconscious on the kitchen floor, White Blaze laying nearby and had called the other Ronins. Bringing them to the present scene.

"Well, we can think about this more in the morning." Mia said, standing up and stretching her legs. "For now, I think that we should all try to get some sleep, especially you, Ryo." She looked pointedly at the young man sitting on the couch.

"I agree. Let's get some sleep and think abut this more in the morning. I don't know about you guys, but I have an 8:00 class tomorrow at the university and I'm tired already." Cye yawned, sleepily.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Rowen groaned.

"Rowen, I thought you like your classes?" Kento said, slightly shocked that the genius was complaining about school.

"It's not the classes, it's the fact that my first class is at 9:30 in the morning." Rowen said, making a face.

"Well, maybe if you went to bed at a decent hour, it wouldn't be so hard for you to get up in the morning." Mia grinned.

Rowen stuck his tongue out at her and stalked off up the stairs to his and Sages' room. Mia and Cye followed soon after and Kento helped Ryo up the stairs.

Sage watched them go silently before turning to the dark window and looking out at the clouds still littering the night sky, not allowing any of the stars to shine their brilliance on the earth. The wind howled ominously and Sage shivered at the sound.

Shaking off the creepy feeling he had just gotten, he turned and slowly ascended the stairs towards his room, not noticing the dark figure that watched him from the tree line of the woods.

"I'm going to be late!" Rowen cried as he ran full tilt down the hallway of the university's main building.

He had accidentally fallen asleep while studying in the library and was now sprinting down the hallway in an attempt to make it to his last class of the day on time. Book bag swinging precariously and loose papers flying, Rowen ran to the end of the hallway, glancing at the clock on the wall long enough to see that he had two minutes left before his professor shut the door and he missed his class.

Turning a corner sharply, he slammed into another figure, walking quickly in the other direction. With a cry, Rowen and the other person went down in a tangle of arms, legs, textbooks and papers.

Groaning, Rowen rolled over onto his back, blinking up at the light fixtures on the ceiling, watching as a few more papers glided gently down to the ground.

"Hey, are you all right?" A voice asked.

Rowen sat up stiffly and regarded the black haired boy kneeling on the ground next to him.

"Yeah." He said, slowly rising to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?" The boy asked, helping Rowen pick up his papers and books.

Rowen blinked at the boy. "Well, generally when two people collide and fall on the ground, neither one is feeling too good afterwards. Look, sorry I ran into you like that, I was in a hurry and I guess I wasn't watching where I was going." Rowen said.

"We didn't run into each other." The boy said, handing Rowen his papers. "I was on my way to the water fountain down the hall there," The boy pointed to the water fountain at the other end of the hall. "and I saw you laying here, so I came to see if you were all right."

Rowen stared at the boy. "I...I didn't run into you?"

"Nope, I just found you laying here like this." The black haired boy smiled at Rowen and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, you took a nasty fall, are you sure you're going to be all right?"

Rowen stared at him for a moment before the question registered in his mind and he answered. "Yeah...yeah I'll be fine."

"Alright, if you're sure. By the way, my name's Hajime." He said, extending a hand to Rowen.

Rowen took the proffered hand with a small grin. "Hajime...I'm Rowen. Pleasure to meet you. And thanks."

"Anytime, Rowen." Hajime answered, turning and walking back down the hallway.

Rowen watched him walk away until he turned a corner and was out of sight, confusion riddling his mind.

"Okay, that was weird." Rowen said to himself.

With a sigh, he looked at his watch. 11:15. Great. He had missed his class.

Groaning, he trudged back the way he came, exiting the building and walking out towards his car. Shoving his book bag and papers in the back of his car, Rowen jumped in and started up the engine. Pulling out of the university parking lot, Rowen headed towards the mansion, still thinking about Hajime.

Kento laughed heartily as he watched Ryo trying to give White Blaze a bath. The bearer of the Wildfire armor was soaking wet, his T-shirt clinging to him as he sat in the puddle of water mixed with soap suds and mud that had been created in the yard. White Blaze stood a few feet off to the side, calmly licking his paws and completely dry.

"Ryo, man, just give it up." Kento said through his laughter.

Ryo pouted and crossed his arms, glaring at the tiger.

"Kento! Ryo!" Cye called from the porch. "Lunch is ready!"

Ryo grudgingly got up and followed Kento inside, shooting one last glare in the smirking tigers' direction.

"Good heavens Ryo!" Cye exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing." Ryo growled, stomping up the stairs to change while Kento laughed and filled Cye in.

A few minutes later, Ryo came down the stairs again, in dry clothes and with his hair fluffed up and only slightly damp, evidence of his attempt at drying it.

"Ryo," Cye said. "If Mia finds out you've been using her hair dryer again, she's going to have a conniption."

Kento laughed outright and Ryo paled a bit.

"Please don't tell her!" Ryo begged, making puppy eyes at the warrior of Torrent.

Cye laughed, "I wasn't going to. Now, eat up."

Cye sat at the table and joined Kento and Ryo in eating. Silence filled the room as the occupants ate Cye's good cooking.

"Hey, where are Mia and Sage?" Ryo asked, suddenly. He knew Rowen had a class at 11:00 but usually Mia and Sage were home early enough to eat with them.

"Oh, Mia called from the university, something about doing some extra research and Sage went to the mall to pick up a few things he needed." Cye answered.

Ryo was about to reply when they heard the front door slam.

"Then, again, maybe not." Cye said.

But neither Sage nore Mia entered the kitchen, instead a tired looking warrior of Strata graced the little assembly with his presence.

"Oh, no, Rowen. You didn't miss class, AGAIN." Cye said, his tone gently scolding.

Rowen nodded and sat down at the table, helping himself to some of Cye's cooking.

"Geez, man, you're gonna get dropped soon if you keep missing classes like this." Kento warned, though a glint of mischief shone in his eyes.

"Mph mmm pht." Rowen replied, his mouth full.

"What was that, Ro? We couldn't quiet hear you over the food in your mouth.": Ryo said, snickering slightly.

Rowen glared at Ryo and swallowed.

"I said, it wasn't my fault."

"What do you mean it wasn't you're fault?" Cye asked, curiously.

Rowen filled them in on the events of the morning, from the time when he fell asleep in the library to the present.

"Well, that's bizarre." Ryo said.

"Yeah. Anyway, that's why I didn't go to class. Hey, where are Sage and Mia?" Rowen asked, noticing that the table was empty in two places.

Cye told him where they were and the group fell silent again.

Soon they finished the meal and Kento stayed behind to help Cye with the dishes. Ryo went out back to try and coax White Blaze into a bath again, and Rowen decided to go for a walk.

Rowen sighed in pleasure as he walked slowly down the path in the woods. The birds were singing, the sun was shining and all was right with the world. All was right, except, of course, for the odd circumstances that had been plaguing himself and his friends the last two days.

Rowen frowned as his thoughts turned to the storm from the other night and Ryo's apparent brush with death.

_'Ryo said that the storm seemed unnaturally violent. Like it was angry. Then there was the instance with the lightning. Four times it nearly struck him. That can't be a coincidence. But was the lightning aiming for him or was his armor somehow attracting it?' _Rowen thought to himself as he wandered deeper into the woods.

_'Then there's that mysterious thing that saved him.'_

The mysterious figure that Ryo said had protected him from the lightning had been dismissed by the Ryo and the other Ronins as a figment of Ryo's imagination.

'_But what if it had been real? What if something really had protected Ryo from the lightning?' _Rowen thought. _'Let's see...Ryo said that it seemed to appear out of no where...nothing as large as what he described could have gotten to him that quickly unless it either, teleported, flew or was really fast. Well ,being fast seems to be out of the picture. Nothing as large as what he described could move that fast. I doubt it could fly either. Teleportation? Maybe.'_

Rowen rambled on and on in his mind as he wandered further and further into the forest, trying to come up with an explanation for the mysterious form.

'_Maybe it was just a figment of his imagination.'_ Rowen thought was a sigh. Noting made any sense.

Suddenly, Rowen felt a chill in the air. He shivered slightly and looked around himself. He had wandered a far distance from the mansion, almost to the highway that ran parallel with the forest on the other side. He looked down at his watch. 3:10. He had been walking for hours.

'_Had it really been that long?'_ Rowen thought, distantly.

Suddenly, he realized something.

The forest was completely silent.

The birds were no longer singing softly from the trees, and the wind had picked up dramatically, tossing his azure locks around haphazardly. He looked up to the sky and frowned at the gray clouds covering the sun's light and causing a chill in the air. Dark shadows danced around the trees and Rowen turned back the way he had come, walking purposefully towards the mansion he knew lay in the distance.

Suddenly, a great rumbling sounds echoed through the forest, birds took flight from their nests in the nearby trees as the ground began to shake. Rowen shouted in alarm as he lost his footing on the shaking ground, the earth turning up in great rolling waves that uprooted trees and rocks in the once peaceful forest. Rowen heard the sound of trees snapping and falling to the shaking earth as he tried to regain his footing on the unstable earth.

Reaching into his pocket for his armor orb, Rowen intended to leave the forest and fly above the chaos, but a particularly violent wave struck the surprised Ronin and he fell, the orb slipping from his fingers and rolling away down a small hill.

Rowen's eyes widened in alarm as a cracking, groaning sound erupted off to his left. Looking up, he saw the figure of a great oak, nearly fifty feet high and as broad as a car tilt under the shifting earth and begin to fall, directly upon the startle Ronin.

Rowen watched, unable to move as the towering oak fell towards him, promising death with it's crushing weight.

Rowen opened his mouth to scream when he saw a flash of something out of the corner of his eye, just a moment before he was pushed out of the way of the tree. Rolling down a small hill he landed on his back, breathing heavily as he realized that he had just cheated death.

The ground stopped shaking and the forest stilled, as Rowen lay there, trying to catch his breath and calm his racing heart. Seeing his armor orb nearby, nestled in a small patch of grass, Rowen grabbed it and stumbled upright, swaying slightly as he tried to keep his balance.

Shaking his head to dispel the nausea rising up from his stomach, Rowen scrambled back up the hill, with one thought in mind.

_'Someone pushed me out of the way.'_

Reaching the top, Rowen gasped at what he saw. The great oak had indeed fall directly where he had been, but instead of his broken body beneath its weight, there lay another.


	3. Chapter Two

Standard disclaimer as always. I own nothing, but I DO own Hajime, Electra, Jade and Rachel. Thank you very much! ;)

Nature's Fury

Chapter 2

Rowen gasped as he ran to the tree, kneeling down on the ground to get a better look at the figure lying there. The figure lay on its stomach, arms outstretched as if still pushing him out of harms way. The torso and abdomen of the figure disappeared beneath the oaks' bulk, and the figure didn't move. Standing back, Rowen armored up and pulled his bow from his back.

"Arrow Shock Wave!" He cried, releasing his sure kill upon the offending tree, his aim true and accurate as the attack blew the tree off the figure lying beneath it without harming the wounded person on the ground.

Rowen rushed to the figure and had to hold back the bile rising in his throat. The figures' back was completely smashed, blood ran in rivulets across the ground where rocks and stone had punctured the skin. Brushing the tears from his eyes, Rowen turned the body over, gasping.

Rowen stared down into the face of a young girl, no older than he. Her hair cascading down around her shoulders, light brown at the roots, and getting darker and darker as it neared the ends until it was almost black where it danced about her shoulders.

Her eyes were closed, and blood tricked out of her mouth. Her clothes were simple, a maroon halter-top and black pants that stopped abruptly half way down her calves.

Rowen's eyes grew wide as he examined her hands: her fingernails were black. Not painted black, just black. Her toes nails were the same.

A simple tattoo adorned her shoulder, a black, leafless vine, reaching down towards her elbow with another vine towards her breast and another up the curve of her neck to her jaw line. Shifting her body slightly, Rowen saw that there was two symmetrical tattoos on her back, both like crescent moons with the same twisting-black vine design as the tattoos on her shoulder.

Resting her gently in his arms, Rowen stared down at the strange girl who had given her life for him. Tears streamed unchecked down his face as he wept for her. He didn't even know her name.

Watching her through his tear stained eyes, he almost jumped in surprise when her eyelids twitched. He watched her closely as it happened again, his excitement mounting. She wasn't dead! It was a miracle!

'_How could she have possibly survived that?'_ Rowen wondered, checking her pulse.

It was faint and erratic, but it was there, none-the-less.

Cradling her broken body as gently as possible, he picked her up and leapt into the air, forming his armor's bubble around them as he flew her swiftly towards the mansion. He could see her eyelids twitch occasionally, and hope sprung up in his heart that she might survive. Clutching her gently to his chest he sped up, hoping to reach home before it was too late.

"Sage! Guys! Help, quick!" Rowen shouted as he ran into the house, the mysterious girl still cradled in his arms.

Cye ran out from the kitchen, gasping in surprise at the unconscious form in Rowen's arms. Rushing over to Rowen, he gaped at the blood dripping from the girl and running off Rowen's armor.

"What the hell, happened!?" He cried.

Suddenly, Ryo, Kento and Sage flew into the room, panic written all over their faces at Rowen's desperate cry.

"Who is that?!" Ryo asked, coming up to Rowen who still stood in the doorway, clutching the broken body of the girl to his chest.

"There's no time to explain, Sage, she's hurt really bad, can you heal her?" Rowen asked, walking towards the warrior of Halo with an expression of pleading on his face.

Sage blinked at him for a moment before nodding numbly and pointing towards the couch in the living room. Sitting gently on the couch, Rowen cradled the girl in his arms as Sage knelt down and placed his hands on the woman, his eyes closed as a soft green light enveloped them. Rowen concentrated, adding his own armor's power to Sage's, giving him more strength.

A few moments, later, Sage opened his eyes weakly. He had put almost all of his energy into healing the girl, leaving him tired and weary. Kento supported his shoulders from behind as he began falling backwards, helping him up and into a large armchair.

"Rowen, what's going on? Who is she?" Ryo asked gently.

Rowen looked up from where he was staring down at the girl in his arms, tears in his eyes.

"She saved my life."

The others blinked in surprise.

Rowen told them about the earthquake and how she had pushed him out of the way. How she had been crushed under the tree, but was still alive and how he had brought her here in hopes of saving her.

"Sage." Rowen turned to the exhausted warrior. "Thank you for healing her. Will she be all right?"

Sage nodded. "I think so, most of the bones in her abdomen and torso were broken and she had quiet a lot of internal bleeding. I managed to heal most of her injuries, but there was just too much damage for me to do everything. I can try again later, once I've rested."

Rowen nodded, thoughtfully.

"Sage, why don't you go upstairs and rest, we'll wake you if anything more happens." Ryo said, gently placing a hand on Sage's shoulder.

Sage nodded, rising slowly and stumbling towards the stairs. Kento caught the exhausted warrior again and helped him up to his room.

Silence descended upon the warriors as they watched Kento help Sage up the stairs. Turning their eyes then towards the girl in Rowen's arms, no one spoke as Rowen gently laid the girl down on the couch, covering her up with a blanket and fussing over a pillow.

Sighing, Rowen stood up again, cracking his back and turning to his remaining comrades.

"Well, what now?" Rowen asked.

"She'll stay here."

The Ronins turned to Mia in surprise.

"But, Mia, we don't even know who she is." Ryo exclaimed.

"True, but she saved Rowen's life, and I think that merits a little trust." Mia explained.

"Well, alright." Ryo gave in, sullenly. It wasn't that he didn't want the girl to stay, it was just that he wasn't expecting Mia to welcome her in with open arms when she didn't even know her name.

"That settled it, then. I'll go prepare a guest room." Mia said, turning and ascending the stairs, just as Kento was returning back down.

"What'd I miss?" He asked, taking a seat next to Cye on the loveseat.

"She's staying with us for a while." Cye explained.

Kento nodded.

Suddenly, a low moan echoed from the room. The Ronin's turned towards the girl lying on the couch as she stirred.

Rowen moved closer as she moved a bit, slowly opening her eyes.

Jumping back a bit in alarm, Rowen gasped. The girl's eyes weren't the eyes of a human, but rather, they were golden with black, vertical irises.

'_Like a hawks' eyes.'_ Rowen thought, amazed.

She blinked up at him briefly, watching as Cye, Kento and Ryo moved closer.

"Hello, my name is Rowen. These are Cye, Kento and Ryo. What's your name, miss?" Rowen asked, moving slowly closer to the girl.

She watched as Rowen moved closer, allowing him to sit on the edge of the couch where she lay. However, when Cye, Kento and Ryo moved closer, she pulled her lips back and snarled, showing off a set of long, sharp canines.

"Okay, bad idea." Ryo said, backing up a bit.

"How come she let's Rowen be close to her?" Kento said, a little annoyed.

Cye and Ryo shrugged as they backed off and watched Rowen interact with the mysterious girl.

"What's your name?" Rowen asked again gently.

He was mildly surprised that he felt so comfortable around this mysterious girl, a minute ago she had just growled a threat at his friends, yet he felt like he had known her all his life. He trusted her.

Eyeing the other Ronin's briefly, she turned back to Rowen.

"Electra." She said, quietly.

Rowen was surprised at how gentle her voice seemed, a moment ago she had seemed fierce and unapproachable.

Rowen smiled. "That's a beautiful name. So, Electra, where are you from?" He asked.

"Around." She answered him vaguely, her head swiveling around to look at the mansion.

"Around where?" Rowen prodded.

"Here and there." She answered, distractedly, still looking around curiously.

"Okay...so, what were you doing in the woods?" Rowen asked. He knew that there were no other people living in the mountains where Mia's home was, so he was interested to know what she had been doing there.

"Watching you." She responded.

Rowen blinked at the bluntness of her answer, scratching his nose absently in confusion.

"Why were you watching me?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"........"

Rowen sighed. He wasn't going to get a straight answer out of this girl.

"Okay, well, I wanted to thank you for saving my life back there." Rowen said sincerely.

Turning to him, Electra, shrugged.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, concerned.

"Been better, been worse." She responded softly.

"Can I do anything for you?" Rowen asked.

"Nope. Thanks for your attentions, now if you'll excuse me, I must leave." She said, abruptly sitting up.

Rowen reached out to steady her as she winced, gasping.

"Be careful! You're still very badly injured, please lay back down." Rowen said, gently pushing her back down on the couch.

Electra allowed herself to be pushed back onto the couch, looking down at herself and her blood-stained clothes. Prodding her abdomen and torso, she proceeded to examine herself, presumably for her injuries.

"You have eight broken ribs, a punctured liver and kidney, two cracked vertebrae and several torn mussels. I was able to heal everything else and remove the danger of you dying, but you must rest and stay still until I can heal you completely." Sage said, coming down the stairs sleepily.

"Sage! You should be in bed, resting!" Cye scolded.

Sage rolled his eyes. "I can't sleep with you guys yelling and talking down here, now can I?" He said, taking a seat in a large armchair.

Cye pouted, crossing his arms.

"So, what'd I miss?" Sage asked.

Ryo filled him in, briefly while Rowen continued to fuss over the girl.

"No, you must stay here." He was saying, his hand on her arms, trying to keep her stationary.

"I must go. I do not belong here." She answered, swiping his hands away and trying, once more, to sit up.

Rowen was about to push her back down to the couch when there was a knock at the door.

Wondering who would be knocking on their door at this time of day, Kento went over to answer it. Opening the door, he let out a gasp and backed up, staring at the two women in the doorway.

The first was a tall girl with short, brunette hair. Her eyes were the deepest forest green and her ears were pointed. Most intriguing about this girl was the color of her skin. It was a deep, rich red, like the color of cherry wood. Her lips and eyes seemed to be outlined in black, making her features even more striking. Her clothes were simple, a green tank top and brown pants which stopped abruptly after her knees. Kento gasped as he looked at the girl's feet: from her knees down, her skin grew darker and darker until it turned black around her ankles, making her feet a deep, pitch black.

Stepping forward, Sage examined the other girl. Unlike the red woman, this girl was short, only coming up to his shoulder. Her skin was the palest white he had ever seen, and seemed to shimmer and shine when she moved. Her hair was stark white, coming down around her shoulders and flowing to her waist. But her eyes were most striking of all. They were silver, shining in the dim light of the early evening. She seemed to almost glow, like crystal. Her clothes were white as well, also stopping just before her knees. Her finger and toe nails also were silver, shining in the darkness.

"Greetings." The white girl said, smiling gently and showing off a row of perfect teeth, silver as her eyes and nails.

"Uh...hi." Ryo stammered.

"Took you long enough."

Everyone turned to the girl on the couch as she spoke, glaring slightly at the two in the doorframe.

"Well, it's not like you were in any danger. Besides, you know Crystal, she had to remind us of a few things." The girl in white rolled her eyes.

"Um, won't you come in?" Cye asked, suddenly becoming conscious of the fact that the girls were still standing in the doorway.

"Sure, we just came to get our friend. Then we'll be on our way." The red girl said, walking into the living room. "By the way, my name is Jade."

"I'm Rachel." The white girl said, walking over to where Electra lay on the couch, Rowen still sitting next to her.

"Uh, I'm Rowen, and this is Cye, Sage, Ryo and Kento." Rowen introduced the group as he stood, giving Rachel space as she approached Electra.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Jade said, winking at Kento.

Kento blushed and looked away. Something about that girl was different. Well, besides her appearance. Whenever she looked at Kento, it was like she was looking right through him. The feeling unnerved him, and yet, he wasn't afraid, or even particularly nervous. Just intrigued and slightly confused.

Rachel was talking quietly to Electra, while Jade stood nearby, watching the Ronins with an amused grin on her face.

"So, who are you?" Sage asked, bluntly.

"We just told you. I'm Jade, and that's Rachel. Oh, and if she didn't introduce herself, that's Electra." Jade answered rolling her eyes. "Sometimes, Electra can be a little absent minded."

"Hey!"

"No, I mean, where did you come from?" Sage asked patiently.

"No where." Jade answered calmly.

"Oh, come on! You can't expect us to take that as an answer!" Ryo shouted, standing.

Jade blinked at him. "Why not?"

Ryo was practically shaking with rage. This was all just too much. "First of all, Rowen comes flying in here with this mysterious girl in his arms, saying she saved his life. Then she won't tell us where she's from or who she is, only that she was "watching" Rowen. Then, to make matters worse, we get a knock at the door and it's you two, come to confuse us with more riddles and scant answers to our questions!" Ryo cried, chest heaving.

"Ryo, calm down." Cye said, gently.

"CALM!? I AM CALM!" Ryo shouted.

Rachel turned from where she had been examining Electra's injuries to face the enraged young man.

"Relax, Ryo. Everything will be explained in time. There's no need for you to get all worked up. At least you know that we're not a threat to you." Rachel said.

"How do I know you're not a threat to us?" Ryo asked, still a bit peeved, but not blind with rage like he had been before.

"Because I would not have saved Rowen if I was out to get you." Electra answered. "Plus, they're with me." She gestured to Jade and Rachel.

"Oh." Ryo said, sitting down again and resting his head in his hands in frustration. "Well, I'd still like to know what's going on."

"You will. Now, I need all you guys to turn around." Rachel said, standing.

The Ronins blinked at her.

"What?" Cye asked.

"Turn around. And no peeking, either." Rachel replied.

"Uh, okay."

Kento, Rowen and Cye turned around, facing the back wall.

"Why do you want us to turn around?" Sage asked, crossing his arms.

"Because I'm going to heal Electra." Rachel answered.

"How are you going to heal her, I wasn't able to, what makes you think you can?" Sage replied.

Rachel rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I will. Now please turn around."

"What does this healing involve? Stripping? Is that why you want us to turn around?" Kento suddenly asked, turning back to look at the girls.

Electra glared at him and he squeaked, facing away again.

"Why should we trust you?" Ryo asked.

Jade sighed. "I told you. If we were any threat to you Electra would have let Rowen die back there in the forest. Now, please, she's in a lot of pain and we'd like to heal her so we can be on our way." Jade said, irritably.

Ryo grudgingly turned around. Sage hesitated, however.

"Sage, please. Trust me." Rachel said, looking into his eyes.

Sage stared back a moment before turning his back to the girls. For some unknown reason, he trusted this girl. It wasn't just because of what Jade had said about Electra saving Rowen, it was something more...something he couldn't quiet put his finger on.

A moment after he turned, a bright, white light filled the room. The Ronin's gasped in awe and began to turn, but Jade stopped them.

"Do not turn around!" She yelled.

Grumbling to themselves, the guys fixed their eyes once more on the back wall of the room, watching as the light in the room peeked to an almost unbearable climax and then slowly faded away, leaving spots before their eyes. Turning, they gasped as they watched Electra get up off the couch and stretch, cracking her neck.

"Thanks." She said to Rachel, who was, oddly enough, leaning on Jade for support.

"Anytime." She answered.

The trio made for the door, but Kento stopped them.

"Hang on, you can't go yet." He said

Electra quirked an eyebrow at him but said nothing.

"How were you able to heal her like that!?" Sage asked, gaping at the girl standing before him, who only a few moments before had been seriously injured.

"Uh...it's a secret?" Jade answered.

"You know that's not going to work." Ryo said.

"Yeah, why did we have to turn around?" Rowen asked.

"Well, it's complicated." Jade answered again.

"You know, they do have a right to know what's going on." Rachel said quietly. She had been leaning on Jade for support until now, but looked back at the Ronins in the living room briefly.

"She's right, they do." Electra said.

Jade sighed, and leaned down, picking Rachel up in her arms. "Of, course, and they will understand everything that's going on. Just not today." And with that, she dashed out the door, Rachel in her arms.

Electra laughed a bit and turned back to the Ronin's briefly, bowing slightly.

"Until we meet again." She said, staring at Rowen. Then she was gone.

"What just happened?" Cye asked.

"Quick! After them!" Kento yelled as he and Ryo ran out the door, soon followed by Sage, Rowen and Cye.

After searching the woods near the mansion for nearly 20 minutes without finding any trace of the mysterious girls, they returned to the living room, annoyed and confused.

"I don't get it! How could they just disappear like that?" Rowen asked.

"I have no idea, but what I want to know is how that girl healed Electra, when I couldn't." Sage said.

"Why, Sage, I do believe you're jealous." Kento teased, earning himself a glare from the blond warrior.

"I'm not jealous, just curious." Sage answered, quickly.

"Well, whoever or whatever they were, they're long gone by now." Ryo said, resting his head on his arms and staring at the floor. It was then that he noticed a peculiar pattern in the rug where Rachel had been standing.

"Guys, look." Ryo pointed to the carpet, turning his head to get a better view of the patterns.

"What's that?" Cye asked.

"It looks like...hoof prints?"

End Chapter 2

Authors note: Well, sorry it was so, long, lots of dialogue. Thanks for the reviews, Chapter 3 is coming up soon! Ja ne!


	4. Chapter Three

Greetings! Sorry it took me so long to update, my computer got sick and I had to give it a little TLC. Remember: The girls and Hajime are mine, everyone else belongs to Sunrise. :) Enjoy and please review!

Nature's Fury

Chapter 4

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Rowen's near death experience and the mysterious women had walked into the Ronins lives.

After a lot of arguing and searching, whining and sleepless nights, the warriors finally realized that they still had no idea what was going on. When days turned into weeks, the warriors grew more restless for answers, the stress of not understanding what was going on driving each of them to the breaking point.

"We gotta do something." Ryo muttered.

"Okay, let's go over the facts again..." Sage said

"Sage, we've gone over the facts at least two dozen times since they came." Rowen groaned.

Sage muttered something under his breath and crossed his arms, staring sulkily out the window of the living room.

It was a boring Saturday at the Ronin household. The university had just let out last week for the summer and since none of the Ronins felt like mustering up the energy for a summer job, they basically laid around all day and watched TV. Eventually, however, the call of public broadcasting became droll and the boys were forced to think about other things. Like the strange occurrences that had happened in the last few weeks.

"Maybe we should go try to look for them again." Kento said, drumming his hands on the arm of the recliner he sat in.

"That won't help, Kento." Cye said, sullenly. "We've looked around for them or clues as to where they are so many times I don't think there's an inch of the forest I don't know like the back of my hand."

"Well, at least we'd be doing something instead of sitting here like a bunch of idiots." Kento argued.

"You guys could weed the garden." Mia called as she walked past the door on her way t her study.

The guys rolled their eyes and moaned, not eager for manual labor, either.

"I have an idea!" Rowen cried, sitting up straight.

"What?!" Ryo asked, excitedly.

"Let's go camping!" Rowen said, grinning broadly.

The other's blinked at him a moment.

"Camping?" Cye said, incredulously.

"You want...me...to go camping." Sage said, with a laugh. "Yeah, that'll happen."

Rowen frowned. "Aw, come on guys. It'll be fun!"

"'Fun' he says." Sage muttered.

"Besides, we're obviously not getting anything done here, so why don't we at least try and enjoy our summer!" Rowen said.

"Ro, this isn't the time for camping. What we should be doing is figuring out what's going on with those strange girls." Ryo said.

"Yeah, but it's obvious that we don't know anything. We can't do anything about them until they decide to show themselves again." Rowen argued.

"He's got a point there." Cye said.

"Besides, maybe if we get out of the mansion and go live in the woods for a time, maybe they'll be more inclined to reveal themselves to us." Rowen said.

"You, mean, that maybe they'll follow us." Kento said.

"Exactly. Remember how Electra said she was 'watching' me? Well, maybe we'll see them if we get closer to nature." Rowen said, smiling.

"This mansion is kinda intimidating." Ryo muttered.

"So, what do you say? We get out, have a little fun, and hopefully learn a little more about what's going on while we're at it." Rowen asked, giving them all puppy eyes.

"I am NOT sleeping on the ground." Sage said, glaring slightly.

"My family has an RV. I could see if I could borrow it for a week or so." Kento said.

"There, you see! Alright, then, it's all settled. We'll leave this afternoon." Rowen said, happily.

"Fine. Let's go get ready." Cye said, standing up and walking into the kitchen to pack the necessary food-stuff they would need.

Kento went to call his parents about getting the RV while Ryo and Rowen went to pack. Sage sulked by the window for a moment, but eventually sighed, giving in to his apparent fate and went to tell Mia what they were planning.

"On the road again...I just can't wait to get on the road again..." Kento sang slightly off-key in his strong baritone voice.

Cye, sitting shotgun, rubbed his temples wearily. They had been driving for hours, and having been recruited to be co-piolet, Cye had to listen to Kento sing and hum his way halfway across Japan.

"Okay, Kento. The road should be just up ahead on the left." Cye said, reading a sign for Kyoto National Park. Authors Note: I'm taking liberties. Don't sue me.

Kento, far too happy with the prospect of camping, swung the RV wildly as the road came into view, slamming Cye against the window.

Oblivious to the terror he had caused, Kento continued to hum as he drove down the dirt road. Cye sighed and unbuckled his seatbelt, drawing back the curtain separating the driver's area and the rest of the RV to check on his comrades. What he saw there made him snicker.

Ryo lay on the floor, screaming blue hell as Sage and Rowen lay on top of him. Apparently, Kento's jerky driving had caused them to tumble from the bunks they rested in, resulting in the heap of human body parts on the floor.

Cye walked over and helped a moaning Sage to his feet.

"I'm gonna kill him." Rowen muttered as he got off Ryo, and stalked towards the front of the RV.

Suddenly, the RV stopped, and the four Ronins went down again screaming in frustration.

The curtain pulled back and Kento walking over to them, grinning down at their upturned faces.

"Hey, what're you guys all lying around for. We're here." He said as he opened the door and walked out.

Cye, Ryo and Sage, glared daggers at Rowen as they got up and headed outside after Kento.

"Hey, it was your idea to let him drive, Ryo." Rowen said.

"Yeah, yeah." Ryo muttered, stepping out of the vehicle.

The camp ground was beautiful. Pristine forest surrounded the cleared off camp ground. A canopy of tall trees provided shade for the little clearing while still allowing enough rays of sunshine in to make it warm and bright. Thick vegetation grew nearby and a trail lead into the forest. There was a fire pit and a picnic table with benches there as well.

"Hey, this is pretty nice." Ryo commented, looking around.

"Yep, and there's no one else here to bother us either." Rowen said, happily.

"Really? There's no one else here at all?" Cye asked.

"Well, back at the entrance there's a ranger's station, but there are no other campers." Rowen commented.

"Why is that, I wonder?" Cye said, looking around.

"Most likely because it's still so early in the season. Or we're just lucky, I guess." Kento said, grinning.

Within the hour, the guys had set up the camp. They'd sleep in the RV, but cook outside. Sage was happy to find that the camp provided bathrooms with showers only a short walk away from their camp site, and all were happy to find that the RV had a TV and DVD player for their entertainment.

About four o'clock in the afternoon, Ryo and Kento popped Golden Eye into the player.

"Hey, guys, we're gonna watch a movie, you want to join us?" Ryo asked, poking his head out of the RV where Sage, Cye and Rowen were sitting at the picnic table.

"Actually, we were just discussing going for a walk." Cye answered.

"Oh, okay then." Ryo said, going back inside the RV to watch the movie with Kento.

Sage, Cye and Rowen left soon afterwards, taking the trail into the woods. Walking leisurely and enjoying the beauty of nature around them, the three Ronins discussed everything from movies, to sports to women. After an hour of walking, Sage decided to stop to meditate, heading off the trail into the forest to find a good spot. Cye and Rowen continued walked, absorbed in a conversation about the latest movie.

None of the Ronin's noticed the storm clouds forming on the horizon, even when they began to move closer, the canopy of trees blocking the sky from view. Soon, the clouds were black and ominous, thunder rumbling loudly as the storm's power grew.

Looking up, Rowen sighed as he noticed the dark clouds through the trees.

"Looks like we should be heading back, Cye. It's gonna rain." He said, turning on the trail.

Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed across the sky as lightning struck the tallest tree in the forest, about half an hour's walk behind them on the trail. Rowen and Cye knew nothing of this however, as they walked quickly back in the direction of the RV and the now burning tree between them.


	5. Chapter Four

Sorry it was so long in coming folks! But, I think that you'll find it was worth the wait! This chapter is kinda short, but the others will be longer, I promise! I don't own Ronin Warriors, but I do own the girls and Hajime. Thanks and please R & R!

Nature's Fury

Chapter 5

Cye and Rowen continued to walk towards the campground, pleased to see that the stormy sky had cleared without even a drop of rain.

Suddenly, Cye stopped.

"Do you smell that?" He asked Rowen.

Rowen sniffed and wrinkled his nose.

"Smells like smoke." He muttered, looking around for the source of the smell. Cye gasped and pointed to the sky. Straight ahead, great billowing puffs of smoke were emerging from the forest. Rowen gasped.

The wind picked up, causing the smoky cloud to grow in size and blow towards them, washing them in a cloud of smoke and ash.

"Cye! What about Sage!?" Rowen shouted. He immediately began coughing as the smoke entered his lungs. He could just barely make out the figure of Cye through the smoke, doubled over with his coughing. Cye looked at him, horrified, and the two sped off in the direction the smoke came from.

Sage was deep in a meditative trance. He was vaguely aware of the smell of smoke and heat registering in his mind as he meditated, but chalked it up to a campfire and the heat of the sun. He sat, cross-legged, in the center of a clearing, when suddenly his eyes snapped open. He had just remembered. They were the only group in the camp at that time.

He jumped to his feet and gasped. The forest around him was on fire. He whipped around and gasped again when he realized he was surrounded by a wall of flames. He coughed as smoke and ashes assailed his face. He covered his face with his hands and gagged, the smoke was choking him. His eyes watered at the smoke and heat as he desperately searched for a clear path away from the burning inferno. There was none. He thought vaguely of his armor orb, back at the campsite in the RV before he collapsed to the ground. Darkness began to creep into his vision as he was overwhelmed by the smoke.

Rowen coughed, gagging on the smoke and ashes he had inhaled.

"Sage!" He cried through his coughing. "Cye!"

Rowen knew he was in trouble. He had lost track of Cye soon after they had gone looking for Sage in the smoke. He knew he was wandering around in circles, unsure of the way out of the smoke and dust. He could feel the heat growing stronger around him, and knew the fire was gaining on his position. He coughed and called to his friends again. No answer. Even if they could hear him, he wouldn't be able to hear their answers over the crackling of the brush nearby as it burned. His stopped moving and collapsed to the ground, unable to breathe. He gasped for air, rolling onto his back in the dirt, coughing fitfully and choking, his mind screaming for oxygen as his lungs filled with smoke.

Cye breathed out a sigh of relief. He had found the river. He stood on a cliff, overlooking a huge, swiftly flowing river. He reached into his pocket to call his armor. With his armor and the water from the river, he could stop the brush fire and save both Sage, and Rowen who he had lost track of. His hands groped wildly through his empty pocket for his armor orb. Suddenly, Cye felt sick. He had left it in the RV. In all the hustle of the fire and his mad dash to the nearby river, he had completely forgotten that he didn't have is armor with him. He felt like crying. He stared back at the burning forest, imagining his friends in there, hoping, praying that he would rescue them. He screamed in fury and was about to run back into the burning forest, when suddenly the ground around him shook. He lost his balance and fell, rolling over the edge of the cliff and down thirty feet into the violent river below. His last though before he hit the water was of his friends, trapping in the raging inferno.


	6. Chapter Five

New chapter!!! I TOLD you all that it was worth the wait! I own nothing but the girls and Hajime, please R&R!!!

Nature's Fury

Chapter 6

Smoke and ashes assailed Sage's body as he lay on the forest floor. The heat of the fire around him, oppressing his body as he struggled to stay conscious. He rolled to his side to shake off the blackness coming into his vision but was hit, hard, with a wall of flames and fire. He cried out as he rolled away from the flames, choking on the smoke in the air. He was exhausted, and he settled on his back, giving up, allowing the blackness at the corners of his eyes to creep across his vision. He turned his head to the side as the blackness closed in, thinking of his friends and family, his whole life.

Suddenly, a tiny spark of brilliant, white light shone in his vision, a single white spark alight in the darkness overtaking his eyes. It slowly grew in size until it's radiance chased away the darkness and Sage opened his eyes to light, white and glowing. He squinted through the light, musings of death and heaven flashing through his mind, but no. He wasn't dead, he could still hear the flames crackling close to his body, smell the smoke and ashes, but that light, it was so bright, and growing brighter. He nearly shut his eyes completely at the intensity of it, but just as the brightness reached a nearly unbearable level, Sage realized he could make out the shape of something coming towards him. He opened his eyes wider, for now the bright, white light had faded slightly, but still shone, lighting the burning forest with a light not created by fire, but by the shape coming towards him.

Sage gasped as the shape came closer and his vision cleared, staring in awe. A brilliant, white horse stood before him, so white it nearly made his eyes hurt to look at it. It walked closer, tossing it's pure white mane and brought it's fantastic white head down to his level. Then Sage saw it. A long, silvery white horn protruding from the forehead of the beast, long and sharp and thick at the base, slowly spiraling up to a point.

His head swam; surly this could not be. A unicorn? Unicorns were just myths, and myths of the western world, no less. His mind flew from explanation to explanation as he tried to comprehend what was going on. Suddenly, the unicorn knelt and lay down next to him, tossing it's head. Sage stared; what was it doing? What did it want? Suddenly, a soft, sweet voice rang clearly through his head.

_Ride._

What? Surely he was hallucinating. First he sees a unicorn, and now he's hearing a voice, telling him to ride? His mind tried to comprehend the ridiculous scenario being played out before his eyes.

But the voice rang through his head again, it's tone kind, but commanding.

_Ride._

Sage stared at the beast lying beside him, and then glanced around himself. The white light that had illuminated the forest still shone, but Sage could clearly see the burning forest slowly closing in on him. He pushed his questions and fears aside and hesitantly half rolled, half dragged himself onto the back of the unicorn. His exhausted and hurting body couldn't find the strength to sit up, but he lay on the beasts back, his face buried in it's white mane. He gripped the unicorn tightly as he felt it rise from the ground and gasped as it broke into a run. He could barely keep himself from falling from it's back as the creature galloped through the burning forest.

Sage felt the heat and intensity of the fire, but didn't feel the flames licking at his body as he clung tightly to the unicorns back. His perplexed mind gave up trying to understand how he was not being burned alive as the unicorn ran with him through the fire. As he felt the flames falling away, and the smoke clear slightly, Sage slowly lost consciousness, gripping the unicorn tightly, his last thoughts were of Rowen and Cye, who he knew had been deeper in the burning forest.

Rowen was lost in darkness. His unconscious state held him in a firm grip, oppressing him, tormenting him, giving him no chance to redeem his state of mind. He swam in a sea of darkness, buffeted by a loss of feeling, of emotion.

But suddenly, he heard a noise. A deep thumping, strong and powerful. He looked around his dark prison for the source of the sound, he could barely remember what it felt like to hear anything, but he knew what sound was, and his dark eyes searched vainly for it. The sound grew louder, filling his dark prison, thundering loudly, engulfing him in it's intensity.

Then, when the thumping, pounding, sound grew in a climax of power, Rowen felt it. It coursed through him, and he became one with it. It ran through his veins, down and up and through every part of his body. He struggled to understand this thundering, pounding, which had taken over him. He stared around himself. His prison of darkness seemed to grow lighter, still dark, but somehow, it felt different. He felt his body, he heard that thundering, and his emotions returned. He regained his thought and with his thought came his fear. He feared the darkness around him, and struggled to escape it's grasp.

For what felt like the first time, Rowen moved his physical body, weakly trying to escape the darkness crowding his vision. Suddenly, another sound ran through his mind. Not the constant thumping, thundering sound that seemed to become part of his subconscious, but a voice.

_Be still. Do not be afraid. You are safe with me._

He froze, wracking his brain for an explanation. Suddenly, he truly became aware of his physical body, and what he found there caused both fear and confusion. He realized that he was curled up with his legs under him on the ground, but what scared him even more than that was that he could feel another person, another being, very close to his body. He paused, then strained his mind to discover more. He was snuggled up against someone, their arms wrapped around him tightly. Suddenly, Rowen realized what the thundering, thumping sound was. It was a heartbeat. The heartbeat of the other person was what had called him from his unconscious state, he had heard the heartbeat of the person whose chest his head lay upon.

Fear coursed through him for an instant, fear of his ignorance at the situation. But comfort as well. It had been a long time since anyone had held him in their arms, and Rowen took comfort from the arms encircling him and the steady thumping of his heart paced with theirs. But why was it so dark? Why couldn't he see? It was then that he remembered the fire. He started, straining his ears for the sounds of the fire which had nearly claimed his life. He found them, they were muffled, but strong, the sound of crackling brush and the roar of the flames surrounded him, and fear took the place of the comfort he had found once again. He struggled once more in the arms of the mysterious person who held him, but once again, the soft voice he had heard rang through his mind.

_Don't be afraid. You are safe. Be calm. _

Rowen started, then paused. The arms surrounding him tightened momentarily, then loosened, but did not depart. Rowen warily stretched his senses to the limit in an attempt to discover the situation. He could hear the fire around him, and the heartbeat of the person holding him; didn't they know about the fire? Were they just as blind as he? He slowly moved his hands around the arms of the person holding him. The arms didn't move as he ran his hands over them. They were strong, muscular, but soft, and Rowen moved his hands away again and outwards. Feathers. A wall of feathers, to his right. Bewildered, he stretched out his hands out the other way, and felt more feathers. He placed a hand against them and they felt warm and soft; he pushed against them slightly, but they did not give. He ran his hands up and down the wall of feathers and gasped in surprise when he realized that he and the other person with him were encased in a wall of feathers. He became confused, then realized something which he hadn't noticed before. He could breath freely. Before, smoke and ashes from the fire had caused him to suffocate and lose consciousness, but now, he breathed fresh air clean and clear of smoke and ashes. He breathed deeply, freeing his lungs of the last traced of the smoke he had inhaled.

Rowen could hear the fire nearby, confusion wracked his weary mind as he tried to comprehend the mysterious person holding him, the wall of feathers encasing them, and his safety from the fire and the smoke. He wondered for a while, but slowly, the thumping heartbeat of his companion lulled him to sleep, dreaming of his friends and their fates.

"Ryo, dude, you want a coke?" Kento called from the back of the RV.

He watched as Ryo shook his head and continued watching the TV screen. Kento smiled. He had seen this movie before, but Ryo hadn't. He was totally engrossed in it. Kento grabbed a coke from the cooler and gulped some down, strolling over to the window as he drank. He lowered the can and stared out the window in shock. He could see great clouds of smoke billowing out of the forest off towards the right of the RV, the wind causing the smoke to drift away. He knew immediately that he and Ryo were in no danger of the brush fire due to the winds direction, but hadn't Rowen, Cye and Sage gone out for a walk in that direction?

"RYO!!!!"

Cye coughed violently, spitting out water and choking. He squeezed his burning eyes shut, slowly becoming aware of his body. He could hear the river nearby, raging and running violently. He lay on something hard, and his whole body ached. He tried to move, but pain shot through his left leg like a razor and he gasped as he lay still once more.

"Stay still. You are injured." A soft, sweet voice rang through the air, difficult to distinguish from the sounds of the raging river nearby.

Cye opened his eyes with a start, squinting for a moment at the bright sun light from the sky. He stared about himself. He lay on a large rock near the shore by the river, the forest surrounding him. He could see the smoke billowing from the forest off to the left, a fair distance away. He turned to the right, and gasped.

A young woman sat on the rock cross-legged beside him, smiling down at him sweetly. She had bright blue eyes, completely blue, no white, no black. Where the whites of her eyes would have been was a pale blue, which grew darker towards the middle as it neared her dark blue irises. Her hair was long and pale blue, dancing around her face as if it blown by the wind even though not even a slight breeze rippled the air. She wore simple dark blue pants, no shoes, and a blue tank top. Her shoulders and arms were covered in dark blue tattoos which swirled and curved around her like waves.

"W-who are you?" Cye rasped, shrugging away from her slightly.

The woman smiled, showing him a row of brilliant white teeth. "My name is Crystal, Cye." She said.

Cye started. "How do you know my name?" He asked warily. He had just noticed a very large trident laying on the stone behind her, similar to his own, but older looking.

"Well, I've been watching you for some time now. Please, don't be frightened, I'm not here to hurt you." She added at his surprised look.

He looked at her incredulously, shrugging his shoulders after a moment. If she wanted to hurt him, she would have already. He thought to himself as he stared at his surroundings.

"H-how did I get here? Last thing I remember, I was falling from a cliff into the river." He slurred, feeling a bit dizzy.

Crystal smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. "I rescued you from the river."

Cye stared. "How? The river is strong, how could you rescue me?" He asked, amazed.

Crystal grinned mischievously. "I have my ways."

Cye opened his mouth to respond, but he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, my gosh!" He cried, sitting up quickly. "The guys!"

He leapt to his feet without thinking, crying out in pain as his injured leg buckled under his weight and he fell with a crash. Crystal was by his side in an instant, comforting him, but Cye shied away from her hands in wariness. She stared at him, looking hurt, but soon her smile returned and she spoke softly.

"Please, rest. Your hurt, and if you try to move too much, you'll injure yourself worse." She cooed, slowly resting a delicate hand on his shoulder.

Cye opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again as he glanced at his leg. A long gash decorated his calf from ankle to knee, deep and freely bleeding.

"But...my friends...the fire. I have to go to them." Cye stuttered and made to stand again.

Crystal's eyes became firm and she pushed him back into place with her hand. "No." She stated firmly. "Your injured. Besides," Her expression became soft. "Your friends are fine. They are safe. Don't worry about them."

Cye stared at her in surprise. "What do you mean they're safe? How do you know?"

Crystal smiled. "My friends are with them. Don't worry, no harm shall come to them."

Cye continued to stare, but let the subject drop. For some unexplainable reason, he trusted this mysterious and strange woman. He felt safe by her side and believed her when she told him his friends were safe. Cye shook his head, amazed at the situation. He watched as Crystal tore strips from her own shirt and gently bandaged his leg, effectively stopping the bleeding. She smiled at him and gently pushed him down, laying his head in her lap and running her fingers though his hair. Cye felt a little confused at the situation, but not anxious or embarrassed.

Suddenly, Crystal began to sing. Her voice sounded sweet and clear; it flowed softly over the air. Cye sighed in contentment as the song went on, the music sounding similar to the sounds of water flowing gently over rocks in a stream. His eye lids grew heavy and he yawned, feeling at peace and happy. As he slowly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, he pondered for a moment about his friends, but the sweet song and the woman caressing him soon pushed his doubts away to a far corner of his mind and he fell asleep.

Ryo and Kento flew out the door of the RV and stared in awe at the smoke billowing from the forest. They were about to armor up and run into the forest after their friends when they heard a sound, not created by the fire, coming from the other side of the RV. They looked at each other, then ran hastily to the back of the RV, staring at what they found there.

Sage, clothes and face black from soot and ashes, lay on the ground near the forest. His head and shoulders were cradled in the arms of the white woman, Rachel, who had visited their home so many days before. She gently rocked him back and forth, murmuring something as she held him.

"What are you doing!?" Ryo shouted.

Rachel looked up, surprised, and stared at him as though he was stupid. But she didn't answer, just continued rocking back and forth and murmuring.

Kento stared at Sage; he looked horrible. "What happened?" He was scared because Sage didn't move. "What did you do to him?"

Rachel paused, looking at him hard. "He is fine, just sleeping. He needs rest after his ordeal; please try to be quieter, we shouldn't wake him just yet." She went back to her rocking and murmuring.

Kento looked at Ryo who appeared ready to explode. "What ordeal?!" He shouted.

Rachel hissed, looking at him sharply. "Speak softly!" She hissed. "He was trapped in the fire, but I brought him out; now please! He must rest!"

Kento shook his head. "Wait. He was trapping in the fire?" Kento recapped, gesturing to the billowing smoke emerging from the forest.

Rachel nodded.

"And you brought him out?"

She nodded again.

"How?"

Rachel hesitated. "I...I cannot tell you. Not just yet." She hastened to add at the furious looks Ryo and Kento shot her. "I will tell everything, but not now. Sage should hear it too, and right now he needs rest. Later."

"Ohhhh, no, lady. Last time, you ran off, remember?" Ryo took a step towards her. "Not this time. You tell us what's going on right now."

Rachel sighed. "You won't believe me."

"Try us."

Rachel sighed again. "I am a unicorn. Made of pure light, I cannot be touched by anything destructive. I carried Sage, on my back, through the flames of the fire and back here to safety. He must have lost consciousness on the way here." She said.

Ryo and Kento stared at her, their mouths hanging open.

"I don't believe you." Kento said.

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"C-can you prove it?" Ryo said, his eyes wide.

Rachel sighed. "I could turn back into a unicorn, but I won't. Not until Sage is awake and well again." She went back to rocking and murmuring.

Kento looked at Ryo, who looked at Kento. They both started walking towards Rachel and Sage.

"Lady, your crazy. Now get away from him." Ryo said, coming closer.

Rachel looked up in alarm at the two men advancing on her and hugged Sage closer.

"Do not touch her." A firm, hard voice ran through the campsite.

Ryo and Kento whipped around.

There stood Jade, staring grimly at Kento and Ryo whose mouths had once again dropped to the forest floor, and another woman. The other woman appeared to have been the one who spoke, and she stepped forward calmly. She wore dark green pants and no shoes, and a red tank top. Her skin was a bright red color, not as if she were sun burnt but rather as if she had been dipped in fire and taken on the color of the flames. Her fingernails were black like Electra's and two black fangs protruded from her lip, curving down towards her chin. Her eyes contained fire, literally, the irises burning with tiny flames. Her shoulder length bright red hair was a shade never before seen by human eyes, and it danced about her face as though alive. It looked like fire, but still hung about her face like hair.

Ryo and Kento stared. This day just kept getting weirder and weirder.

"W-who are you?" Kento squeaked.

"I'm Rikka." The girl of fire said. "You already know Jade."

Kento nodded dumbly. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He said sarcastically. Ryo glanced at him. He looked ready to faint.

Rikka, apparently not noticing his sarcasm, nodded her head and walked towards the boys. They backed away slightly, but then held their ground, determined to face these two woman, or whatever they were.

"So you want proof that Rachel is a unicorn?" Rikka spat.

Ryo and Kento nodded, and Rikka smiled sadistically.

"She will not become a unicorn for you, only for Sage. But...it is true that she is a unicorn. In fact, Jade here," Emily turned slightly and gestured to Jade who stood off to the side, stiffly. "is what you humans call a 'mythical creature' as well. As am I," She added. "She is a centaur."

Ryo and Kento stared, lost for all words.

Emily continued, oblivious to their distress. "Also, our friend Crystal, and Electra, who you've met, are 'mythical creatures' as well. But it is not my place to tell you more about them. Jade?" Rikka turned to the other girl, backing away, slightly.

Ryo and Kento watched as Jade approached, feeling very much like they were in school.

Jade smiled sweetly at Kento and Ryo before beginning. "Yes, I am a centaur. As Rachel is a unicorn and our other friends are," Jade glanced at Rikka. "what they are. But, this I know is hard for you humans to believe. All your life you've been told creatures like us were fairy tales, made up stories. Well, that's a load of crap." Jade stated bluntly. "We are very real, although we are each the last of our kind. I will not tell you more until the others are here, but I understand that you want proof?"

Kento and Ryo nodded dumbly, all coherent thought fleeing their confused and perturbed minds.

Jade grinned and backed away slightly, standing alone, off to one side. Suddenly, the campsite was filled with a rich brown light, and the boys held their hands to their faces for the intensity of it. The light faded and they withdrew their hands, gasping in awe.

Before them stood Jade, but only from the waist up. She spread out her arms and smiled as the boys stared at the rest of her. From the waist down, she was a horse, a deep dark red horse with black hoofs. She shuffled her hoofs and flicked her black tail around, then pranced around in a circle, laughing at their shocked faces.

But Ryo and Kento didn't notice her laugh. They turned to each other as their eyes rolled back into their heads and they fell backwards simultaneously to the forest floor in a dead faint.

Jade stopped laughing and stared at the unconscious figures on the ground, then looked up at Rachel and Rikka who looked at her, grinning.

Jade smiled. "I hate it when humans do that."


	7. Chapter Six

Rowen slowly woke from his sleep, groaning with the new morning light that shone in his face as he rolled over. He opened his eyes to the forest floor, charred and black. He sat up slowly, gazing about himself. The barren forest was black and charred from the fire, parts of it still smoking slightly.

"I see you are awake. That is good." A quiet voice sounded from behind him.

Rowen jumped in surprise and whipped around to see Electra, the girl who had rescued him in the earthquake so many weeks ago, sitting on a nearby rock, staring at him thoughtfully. Rowen shrugged under her hawk-like gaze and slowly stood, turning completely to face her.

"What happened? Where did you come from?" He spoke quickly, coming to stand near her.

She smiled at him and rose. "Nothing of consequence, you are fine. Right now, we must go help Crystal. She has your friend Cye, who is injured. Let us go." And with that, she walked off into the burned forest.

Rowen, confused and a little anxious, hesitated only a moment before following.

"Who is Crystal? And what do you mean, 'she has Cye'? He's hurt? How do you know?" Rowen asked, coming up beside her as they marched through the forest.

Electra smiled and glanced at him a moment before answering. "You ask a lot of questions."

Rowen scowled. Was she teasing him?

"If I don't ask questions, how else am I to learn?" He asked innocently.

She didn't answer him, just grinned and kept walking. Rowen didn't know where Cye was, but apparently, Electra did. He had no choice but to follow.

They walked in silence for a half an hour before reaching the river, they came to the bank and Electra began to walk downstream at a quick pace. Rowen nearly had to run to keep up.

"We are close." Electra mumbled, her golden eyes scanning the river and the forest nearby. She paused, raising her face in the wind, apparently smelling the air. Rowen stared, completely confused.

Suddenly, she smiled grimly and broke into a run, dashing quickly down the bank, Rowen following behind. Then, as they turned a bend in the river, Rowen saw them.

A woman, blue clothing and hair shimmering in the sunlight, knelt on a large rock, cradling Cye's head on her lap and singing softly. She looked up sharply as she heard them approach, but smiled.

Rowen and Electra ran to her side, Rowen kneeling by Cye. His face was flushed and pale, a thin sheen of sweat glistening off his forehead. Rowen moved down to examine the bloody bandage wrapped around his leg and Cye moaned softly as Rowen removed the wrappings, grimacing at the festering wound.

"His wounds are infected. We must get him to Rachel." Crystal said, looking up at Electra. She nodded and bent by Cye, but Rowen jumped in front of him.

"Oh, no you don't. Don't you touch him. You're not going to hurt him, I won't let you." Rowen moved into a defensive stance in front of Cye's body.

Electra blinked and glanced at Crystal who was staring at Rowen as if he had gone mad.

"I will not harm him, but he needs help. Let me take him to Rachel, she can help him." Electra spoke softly.

Rowen stared at her a moment before answering. "I want to know who you are. Why should I trust Cye to a complete stranger? Besides, my friend Sage can heal him."

"I will tell you who I am later. Your friend Sage is with Rachel right now, let me take Cye to them. You will come also, as will Crystal. Please, you must trust me." Electra said, staring at Rowen.

Rowen considered her words, then glanced back a Cye. His eyes flitted back and forth with fever beneath his eyelids, and he groaned in his sleep. Rowen sighed and moved aside. He watched Electra carefully as she gently lifted Cye in her arms and began to walk with him towards the campsite, Crystal following in her wake. Rowen followed closely, never taking his eyes from the woman carrying Cye in her arms.

Kento opened his eyes and saw another set of eyes, deep green, staring down at him. He screamed.

"Shhh! You will wake them!" Jade hissed.

Kento sat up and scooted away from her. She was human again, or, at least she only had two legs now. He stared at her a moment, before glancing around at his surroundings. He sat on the forest floor by the RV, Jade kneeling nearby. He looked to his left to see Ryo, still out like a light, laying on the ground, Rikka sitting nearby and watching him. Across the clearing, Rachel still sat with Sage cradled in her arms, but now she was gently wiping away the soot and dirt from his face with a cloth.

"What is going on?" Kento asked, eyeing Jade.

Suddenly, Sage awoke with a shout and scuttled out of Rachel's arms. His shout brought Ryo awake and he leapt to his feet in alarm. The three women stared calmly at the alarmed warriors, looking slightly amused at their alarm.

Ryo opened his mouth to say something, probably rude, when there was a disturbance in the forest nearby. Everyone turned and stared as Electra came crashing through the forest with Cye in her arms, Rowen and another woman following closely behind. Complete silence rang loudly through the clearing as Electra carried Cye into the clearing and gently laid him on the ground. The four Ronins leapt to Cye's side, glaring at the woman.

"What happened?" Ryo asked angrily. His anger stemmed both from his confusion at the situation and his concern about Cye.

Rowen quickly explained what had happened and Sage nodded, moving to place a hand to Cye's fevered temple. Kento and Ryo eyed the women suspiciously as Sage's green aura surrounded himself and then Cye. Soon, Cye's eyes fluttered open and the Ronin's breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's going on?" He moaned as Rowen gently helped him sit up.

Ryo turned and stared at the five women standing patiently in the clearing nearby.

"That's what I'd like to know."

Rikka, sighed and turned to the other girls, who had massed themselves at her side. "Ladies, I believe that it is time to tell the Ronin Warriors about The Mother Tempest."


End file.
